Users often have to rely on peripheral devices in order to interface with an electronic device. With the present trend towards mobile computing, however, diminishing the amount of peripheral devices needed to interface with portable computers becomes important. The fewer peripheral devices a user has to carry around, the more flexibility the user will have to travel and work with less clutter.
Although portable computers, such as laptops and notebook computers, often include integrated pointing devices like touch pads, peripheral pointing devices are still preferred by users due to ergonomics and ease of use. One victim of the present trend towards mobile computing, however, has been the keyboard numeric pad. For example, although numeric pads are commonly found in stand-alone keyboards, portable computers such as laptop and/or notebook systems often do not include numeric pads with their integrated keyboards.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring of the drawings. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of different embodiments. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the peripheral pointing devices and methods for manufacturing the same described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the peripheral pointing devices and methods for manufacturing the same described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.
The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectly connected in an electrical, physical, mechanical, or other manner.
The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements, mechanically and/or otherwise, either directly or indirectly through intervening elements. Coupling may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.
The absence of the word “removably,” “removable,” and the like near the word “coupled,” and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.